Bic adds Advance variant to Comfort 3 triple blade range

Bic is aiming to outstrip Gillette in the three-blade, one-piece razor category, with the launch of the latest product in its Comfort 3 range.

Comfort 3 Advance will be available in supermarkets in March and has been designed to target younger consumers, with a redesigned handle and a new rubber grip.

Bic has also added a pivotal head to adjust to facial contours, and a lubricating strip with aloe and vitamin E, mirroring developments in cartridge-based shaving systems.

Joanne Potter, category manager for shavers at Bic, says that one-piece products are still driving growth in the razor and blade market.

She says that sales of triple-blade disposables grew by more than 20 per cent in 2005, as consumers continued to trade up from single- and double-blade razors.

The launch is the first from Bic since it appointed London-based agency Pulse to its creative roster last year (MW November 10).

The razor and biro manufacturer handed Pulse the account, thought to be worth about &£1m, after a pitch against four unnamed shops.

Pulse joined existing roster agencies Endacott Marketing and Marketing Edge, with a brief to give the brand a more contemporary feel.